ATWT: Elizabeth Hubbard Dies at 89

[Cat]

You always got a sense of a lot of the cast being very close, and that personal warmth and chemistry was a big part of its success. Elizabeth Hubbard was a master at this, and you could tell when she was playing opposite Scott Bryce, Martha Byrne and Larry Bryggman and they were kind of ad-libbing around the script a little and adding their own touches and flourishes -- and, importantly, pivoting right back with an ad-lib of their own to the person who had ad-libbed them. That trust between actors to be able to do that without deviating from the direction of a scene really took ATWT to a level other shows tried to emulate (I'm thinking of Santa Barbara which had ex-ATWT star Justin Deas as Keith Timmons; his ad-libbing skills were top-notch on that show).

[titan1978]

There is just something special about those New York soaps when they they were at their best! As much as I love west coast soaps, you just don’t get characters like AW’s Iris or GL’s Alexandra, OLTL’s Karen Wolek, or EH’s Lucinda Walsh.

That fondness was so present onscreen.

Edited April 10, 2023 by titan1978

[soapfan770]

Wow. Another daytime legend lost. Hubbard was the true diva of ATWT and always lit up the screen when she was on.

May she RIP, and thank you for all the years of the great Lucinda Walsh.

[Faulkner]

Y&R is my fave, but the P&G soaps, AMC, and OLTL all felt more approachable and lived-in, even with their larger-than-life characters like Erica Kane and Lucinda, while the L.A. shows felt so glossy and Hollywood, which has its place. But, as much as came to enjoy the craft and primetime-style excitement of GH, I never connected with any of the California shows (aside from Y&R) in the same way I did the NYC soaps. There was an intimacy with those shows. For me, daytime pretty much “died” when OLTL left ABC. 

I suppose the L&O series and a few other high-profile shows like Succession have shot and/or still shoot here, and it was good to see soap stars turn up on The Good Fight.

I love this clip of Lucinda:

 

Edited April 10, 2023 by Faulkner

[Soapsuds]

Yes, they truly were mother and daughter. They had a special bond.

You can tell why ATWT was so successful back in the day. The actors cared for each other. The reunion get togethers prove it.

Yes it was!

Just seeing them together on screen once again was enough for me.

[Cat]

It was that intimacy you talk of which I felt unable to penetrate at first -- a lot of it unspoken and resonated off the screen, speaking of a past history that I hadn't been privy to. After a while, though, the story on a NYC show could grab you by the lapels, and make you think 'I'm not sure what is going on here, but I'm intrigued and want to know more.' (Come to think of it, Y&R also had that spooky, unspoken aspect running through its story-telling, a history which you may or may not fully know or understand at first, leaving the viewer to infer things instead of spoon-feeding you every point).

I loved the glossiness and action of the LA soaps in the 80s, but there was something incredibly charismatic and glamorous about a character like Lucinda Walsh, Iris Cory and Alexandra Spaulding, too. Not glossy and flashy as much as old-money whispering with intent!

You also forgot Sex and the City, lol. Less shows are shot in NYC now because it's more expensive, real estate is at a premium (hence the eventual move of P&G soaps out of Manhattan and into other boroughs/tri-state) and there was an end to some filming subsidies after the 90s. L&O is practically part of the NYC Tourism Board now, and Succession is such a prestige project that it can afford to pay at a premium level.

The Good Fight has been gorgeously good, and kind of a soap in all but name IMO. Crazy that it is actually set in Chicago. 

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[Liberty City]

This is as vivid as a description as one could ever hope for!

[NothinButAttitude]

No!!!! I just peeked on my social media and this is the first thing to pop up. 

This is a horrible year for P&G soap fans. I am still recovering from losing Kathy Hays. 

Ugh. This ruined my day. 

[Brolden]

I just heard the news... I have no words.

I knew the legendary actresses of ATWT weren't going to live forever, but I was not quite ready when we lost Kathryn Hays last year, and I absolutely wasn't ready to hear about the amazing Elizabeth Hubbard today.

What an intense loss for the daytime community.

Widely regarded to be the best actress ATWT ever had. 

I'll be revisiting some classic scenes over the next few days. I'm eager to try out some of her work on The Doctors as well. 

May she rest in peace!

[victoria foxton]

 

  

[DRW50]

I know Elizabeth Hubbard was far more than just Lucinda, but that's where I first saw her, and how I will probably always see her. 

On paper, Lucinda seems like a deceptively simple character - a Freudian case study, meddling and never being satisfied, always losing those she loves - but Liz made her far more. She was an incredibly dynamic presence, one who was absolutely born for the 5 day a week format, because she always kept you (and her scene partners) on your toes. Whether it was a line read, or even a look, you never knew what you were going to get. You enjoyed watching her. She made ATWT a more vibrant show, from her first episode to her last, and no matter how naughty - at times bordering on monstrous - Lucinda could be, you still cared about her. I still remember, as a kid, how moved I was by her performances when Walsh was taken away from her. You might have been able to argue that Lucinda "deserved" what she got, but the actual result broke your heart as much as it broke hers. Liz, often accused of overacting, was understated to the point of pure sorrow. 

Liz always cared, never ceasing to want to explore new avenues for Lucinda, never phoning it in, never forgetting the integrity the character should have.  She still wanted to tell stories like Lucinda going back to school, long after anyone at the show was going to bother with a character-driven tale. She still remembered that characters like Bianca existed, and added that to her lines. That clear passion, that basic respect for the genre and for her character, is what connected her with viewers. In a town that could sometimes be suffocated by paper dolls, ingenues and generic studs, Lucinda felt real. 

For all the talk of Liz changing lines or being set in her ways, she played a lot of material she knew wasn't great, she was loyal to the show as best she could be. That's one of the reasons why, when she finally did have enough in 1999, fans supported her, and even an increasingly stingy, hollowed out P&G supported her. And she rewarded them by being a stalwart for that final decade. 

One of the few positives of that last year for me was getting to see Lucinda back to her old self, meddling, scheming, doing what she thought was right for her family, and of course paying the inevitable price as she once against lost everything. Yet as she left for her happily ever after with her soulmate John, pledging to turn over a new leaf, you knew she'd be back. You knew she'd never really leave us. And she never will.

[jam6242]

 

[Cat]

Probably the best write-up of what Elizabeth Hubbard meant to ATWT, and to you, that I have seen anywhere thus far. 

[Jdee43]

Elizabeth Hubbard was one of the great ones. Her performances always had truth to them. She was always present and engaged. And she was incredibly charismatic. We're lucky that her run on The Doctors survives and is available for viewing. She's one of the main reasons to watch it.

[The Doctors fan]

Just saw this. Very sad

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Edited April 10, 2023 by The Doctors fan